U.S. 'rocket city' hits Islamic State targets in Mosul

By Babak Dehghanpisheh QAYYARA, Iraq (Reuters) - When Islamic State fighters were pushed out of the Qayyara airbase in July, they tried to demolish anything left behind. "Daesh did everything they could to make the place unusable," said Maj. Chris Parker, a coalition spokesman, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State. Now the base, referred to as Q-West by American forces, has become the main staging ground for some 1,000 troops from the U.S.-led coalition along with thousands of soldiers from the Iraqi army and federal police as they try to advance on Mosul.